Wilderness Survival Foods

Imagine yourself in the situation when you are lost somewhere in the wilderness without any food. What would you do? What would you eat? You might decide to starve, especially taking into account the fact that a human is able to survive without any food for up to three weeks. However, in reality, there is no need to risk your own health and make such sacrifices because the Mother Nature can easily become your savior and a feeder.

Fortunately, most outdoor environments are full of things that can meet your nutritional needs and help you to survive. They are not only plants, trees, and flowers, but also insects due to their content of the main necessary micro elements.

Unfortunately, not all people and even not all experienced outdoor lovers know this, which might put them in the difficult and even dangerous situation. For that very reason, we have written this article and included in it the essential information about the main wilderness survival foods.

Of course, what is available in nature depends on a lot of the area you are. It is always good to do research based your location.

Cattails

If you are near a swamp, pay attention at cattails that can be considered as a perfect and healthy nutritional source. The best thing about this plant is that almost all parts of it are eatable regardless the season, including pollen heads, roots, and shoots. Cattails had been used as a food supply already in ancient times by American Indians since it is delicious, nutritious and easy to cultivate.

Grasses

You might not know but all grasses are possible to eat. You can easily chew it up and then swallow the juice. However, make sure that you do not eat indigestible fibers. There is a white part of the grass stem where the leave meets the root called as root corm. If you roast it, you will get a meal that tastes like potato.

Oaks and acorns

Oak trees produce nuts that are called acorns. If you shell them leach out bitter tannins, you can easily eat them. It is not just a survival product, but also an excellent and rich source of calories, protein, and valuable fats. It is interesting to note that you can either eat acorns themselves or make a coffee or flour of them.

One important thing that you should remember: be careful by consuming plants in the wilderness since in many cases it is difficult to identify a particular plant and easy to confuse them. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use the guidance of a certified outdoor guide or a certified naturalist.

Besides plants and their fruits, there are also other natural food resources that you should be aware of.

Insects

Amazing but true: according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations we should think about adding insects and particularly bugs to our diet, even if we not starving somewhere in the wilderness. The reason of it is that many insects are high in fats, protein, and other vital nutrients. For example, such insect as mealworm is a great source of Omega 3 and 6, as well as protein, minerals, and vitamins. You can also eat ants, grasshoppers, and grubs. It is possible to eat insects both raw and cooked. The best and the most delicious recipe is to cook insects as a stew by mixing them with other more familiar ingredients.

Fish

In North America all freshwater fish is edible, so you can definitely use these underwater creatures as an excellent food source. The only one challenge that you might face is catching fish in the wilderness, especially if you do not have special equipment. Fortunately, there are many tools that can be helpful: for bigger fish, you can use a sharpened stick, while for smaller minnows you can make an easy fish net by using your T-shirt.

Small Mammals

There are many small animals in the woods that can be consumed and serve as a source of meat. The most common small mammals living in the wilderness are squirrels and rabbits. Of course, in order to catch any of these animals, you will need much practice and special equipment. However, you might also try to catch them by using snares or traps that are quite effective, or a throwing stick.

To know as much as possible about nature is very important, especially when it comes to food and surviving in the woods. The more you know, the higher your chances not to get in a difficult situation. In order to gain the necessary knowledge, you might develop wildlife tracking skills, learn about plant identification or hire a quality wild edible field guide, who will tell you everything that you need to know about wilderness survival food.

Watch video about easy emergency food in the woods

Hopefully, you fond useful tips and tricks about what to eat in the woods from this article. Be sure to learn more also about the universal edibility test which can be used to identify safe to eat plants. Read more about survival food and find more prepper information from the main page! Is you have any questions or comments, please post them below.